Glimpses
by caldera32
Summary: Responses to The Heart of Camelot drabble challenges :) (Formerly Titled "Not for much longer!")
1. In the Beginning

A/N: Yeah, I'm doing drabbles now too. Is it really so surprising considering the typical length of my chapters?  
The title is a work in progress, we'll see what happens there.

Prompt: _Share a childhood memory from the perspective of any character you choose._

* * *

He looked up at his father, seated at the heavily-carved desk as he sifted through a stack of parchment.

"Father?" He said respectfully, standing to the side and waiting to be addressed.

"What is it?" The elder asked, not even sparing a glance for his son.

"Could we go out? You promised to teach me to use a sword and-"

"Not today, can't you see I'm busy?"

"Yes sir," he responded, eyes downcast as he shuffled from the room. Father was _always_ too busy.

Uther made a vow to himself at that moment: if he ever had a son, he would _always _make time for him.


	2. Prelude to Darkness

Prompt: _Write about a positive experience Uther might've had with magic before Arthur was conceived._

* * *

Uther beamed as he looked at Ygraine, a ribbon wound around their entwined hands.  
Nimueh grinned at the pair and opened her arms wide, "I present to you, King Uther and Queen Ygraine!"

The crowd erupted in cheers and blasts of colorful magic, glistening streamers streaking through the air and angelic music coming from nowhere.  
Nimueh's eyes flashed and a gentle rain of flower petals began to drift down on the loving couple while a dragon formed of golden light flew above the audience.

Uther kissed his new wife passionately, drawing back for a moment to rest their foreheads together.

"This is our kingdom, Ygraine. Forever."


	3. Uncharted Territory

A/N: Dark!Merlin makes me sad; I'm sad now.

Prompt: _Choose a character, pairing, genre or trope you've never written before and explore it!_

* * *

"Why are you so loyal to Arthur?"

Merlin gave her a measuring look from where he hung.  
"You catch more flies with honey, Morgana."

"What?" The witch reeled back, surprised both by the answer and the dark tone.

"I don't want all the blame and death-threats that come with the throne, I just want the _power._"  
It was then Morgana noticed the chains had come undone and Merlin was approaching her.  
"I considered making you my figurehead, but Arthur is just _so_ _easy_ to control- fewer ideas of his own, you see. Well, this was fun while it lasted _m'lady_."

A flash of gold was the last thing she saw.


	4. Knocking is Overrated

A/N: Had a great birthday weekend :) Now enjoy this silly little thing (it was supposed to be straight humor, but my fingers got sneaky at the end).

Prompt: _Write about one character catching another in an awkward or potentially embarrassing situation._

* * *

"**Bebiede** **þe arisan cwicum!"**

Arthur burst in, fearing an attack, and stopped dead.  
"Merlin, are you using that animation spell again?"

The ruffled Court Warlock hastily threw his cape over a shapely form in the corner.  
"Of course not, this poor woman has been cursed; I'm simply trying to restore her."

"Mmm. I notice her... _condition_ didn't bother you until I came in."

Merlin flushed, "You should have knocked!"

"_You_ never do."

Not having a comeback, he flung up a hand and forced the king out before locking the door and turning back to the statue.  
He had stolen it from a shrine, one to 'The Lady of the Lake'.

"Just a little longer, Freya."


	5. Shades of Grey

A/N: So, I have a tumblr now (same username). That's right, even more distraction.

Prompt: Choose a character that is considered "evil" on the show and give them a redeeming quality.

* * *

He looked out on Camelot, _his city_.

Where had its greatness gone? The people lived in ignorance and fear, blinded by the propaganda of a corrupt monarchy.  
It saddened him to see the way they scraped by when they could thrive. Still, he had built this city once and he would do so again.

As he called the gargoyles his only regret was the threat to innocent life.  
His hesitance only lasted a moment, however, before both sides attacked and hostilities began in earnest.

Sigan watched as the injured were carried into the castle and hardened his resolve.

This was for the best.


	6. An Honest Confession

A/N: I have nothing to declare.

Prompt: _Have one character admit a previously hidden truth to another in a way that never happened on the show._

* * *

"Arthur, I have a confession to make. I- I kissed Merlin."

Arthur blinked.

"Well? Say something, you're making me nervous."

"Why are you telling me this? You and I _both_ know you've kissed nearly everyone."

"Arthur!"

"Well it's true. Especially once you've gotten a bit of drink in you."

"I come here trying to have a serious conversation and you call me a drunkard! Well I've had enough," Gwaine turned on his heel and stormed out.

Guinevere sighed. "You could have played along- you didn't have to make him angry."

Arthur snorted, "I only humor him on Wednesdays."

"It _is_ Wednesday."

"Shut up, Merlin."


	7. Continuation

A/N: So many possibilities for this one, but this worked best with the length restriction ;)

Prompt: _Choose one character (other than Arthur) who was killed on the show and write about their potential involvement (if they'd lived) in an episode that occurred after their death._

* * *

"I don't know what to do, Lancelot."

"You like him, yes?"

"He's very likable."

"So why force yourself? I know you regret the way you treated Morgana- why should this be different?"  
The knight wanted to strangle that dragon; always leaving Merlin with riddles that caused him to act against his instincts.

"He's going to kill Arthur," the warlock protested, resolve weakening.

"I'm sure that if Mordred begins to turn you will be the first to notice, but for now shouldn't you befriend him? He could be a great help to you."

Merlin smiled faintly to himself, "Yeah... thanks, Lancelot."

"Anytime, my friend."


	8. Claiming Kin

Prompt:_ Invent a previously unknown family member for one of the knights and write a drabble about that character._

* * *

"Brother!"

Leon turned to see a familiar shock of red hair flying toward him, said hair belonging to someone who definitely _should not_ be here.

"Devlin," the knight wheezed as he was caught up in his older brother's bear-like arms, "why are you here?"

"Well that's hardly the way to greet your kin! You know the ban was the only thing keeping me away!"

"Which is why I'm asking what brings you here!" Leon hissed. "The laws have not changed, despite what you seem to think."

"What? But-" his gaze drifted to the king and his manservant, smiling and trading insults as they meandered through the lower town.

"Nevermind, you must leave immediately."

Still staring into the distance, Devlin nodded, "That I will do- though I think it may not be long before I return on a more permanent basis."

Leon's lips quirked into a slight smile, silently echoing that sentiment as his brother melted back into the crowd.


	9. An Interesting Use for a Neckerchief

A/N: Decided to just toss all my drabbles in this collection 'cuz I can ;)**  
**  
Prompt: _Come up with an interesting or unusual way one of Merlin's trademark scarves might be used._

* * *

As they stumbled out of the impenetrable forest Merlin gave a disgruntled look at the desert before pulling out a spare neckerchief and wrapping it tightly around his head, adjusting the other so it covered his neck more fully.

"What are you _doing_?" Arthur said, both confused and entertained by his friend's fussing.

"Last time we were here the blasted sun burnt my scalp. I'm _not_ putting up with that again."

"Must you always be such a girl?"

"Not all of us have wives to lovingly arrange our hair by hand, Arthur."

The king snorted, leading the way to the Dark Tower.


	10. A Different Perspective

Prompt: _The object of this challenge is to choose a character you dislike and write about them from a sympathetic point of view._

* * *

Agravaine let out a sigh of relief as Arthur left, clearly brushing aside the servant's accusations.  
_Morgana would have had my head..._

Morgana. He really did love her. She had changed, but underneath the protective walls he could still see the brilliant woman he'd fallen for.

He'd originally planned swift retribution against the weakened Uther, but his benefactress had shown him the light; shown him how Arthur was the true problem.  
The way that young pup fawned over his mother's murderer made Agravaine ill.

No matter, soon they would be dealt with and Morgana would be Queen. Soon Camelot would see the peace and harmony she deserved. _Soon, Ygraine..._


	11. Off on Vacation

Prompt: _Write a canon era drabble in which one of the characters takes a holiday from Camelot. Where do they go and what do they do?_

* * *

Geoffrey glanced from side to side, ensuring no one else was in the library.

He had obtained royal leave to take a holiday the previous day and everything was prepared- kit packed with quills and ink, any spare space filled by food or drink. Nodding to himself he strode over to a particular wall and depressed a self, causing the whole to rotate and deposit the librarian in a secret chamber.

The old scholar sighed contentedly as he gazed upon his favorite vacation spot; walls laden with romances, lavish padded chair, writing desk, and small fireplace.

Grabbing a volume he settled into the chair and began reading of fantastical far-off lands.

It was so nice to get away.


	12. Camelot Falls

A/N: Written to go with the next prompt as an explanation of sorts :)

* * *

Morgana swung the sword as Morgause chanted, freeing the dragon and sealing the fate of her recently-acquired castle.

The beast let out a thunderous roar, rearing back and releasing a gout of flame that reduced both witches to ashes before they even knew what was happening.

Camelot and her remaining citizens burned for many days until the ancient creature's wrath was satisfied.  
Revenge complete and city in flaming ruin, he left to find his sole remaining kin; mind reaching out ahead as his wings beat freely in the open sky.

…

A hermit looked up, hearing a voice that had been silent for decades.  
"_Kilgharrah? What miracle is this?"_

"_Balinor, I have news for you."_


	13. Thwarting Destiny

A/N: My longest yet! ;) Follows from the previous chapter

Prompt: _Share an experience that might have happened in Merlin's life if he and Arthur had never met._

* * *

Hunith answered the knock at the door, throwing Merlin a glance until he stopped the bread from magically kneading itself as he prepared breakfast. A tall man with long, grey-streaked black hair and a full beard stood on the other side, staring in wonder at the woman who was also firmly rooted to the spot.

"Balinor?" She whispered disbelievingly.

"Hunith." His voice was warm and full of emotion as he swept her into his arms. "Uther is dead; magic has returned to Camelot."

They held each other close, weeping soft tears of joy.

Merlin cleared his throat awkwardly and the two sprang apart.

Balinor's face fell when he saw the boy. "Oh, you've- well, I couldn't expect you to wait; a beautiful woman like yourself..."

"No," she interrupted him with a smile. "Merlin, this is your father; Balinor, this is your son, Merlin."


	14. Crossing Paths

Prompt: _Write about an encounter between two characters who never actually met on the show._

* * *

Gwaine stumbled over another root, glaring balefully at the tree before retrieving his mead and continuing toward Camelot.  
Well, he was reasonably certain he was going toward Camelot... perhaps he should go to the taverns outside the walls _before_ reaching the falling-down-drunk stage.

Another trip and he was giggling to himself. _Right now I'm as clumsy as-_

"_Merlin_, it's about time you-"

Gwaine stopped in his tracks, staring at the dragon casually lounging in the clearing before him; a dragon that had just spoken.

"Ah, Strength. I see you've-"

"I have _got_ to stop drinking the cheap ale," the knight interrupted, turning and disappearing into the night.


	15. Fine Tuning

Prompt: Choose one of your least favorite episodes, then use your drabble to provide a synopsis for an episode to replace it.

A/N: So, I changed the title and cover- you like?  
Anyway, here we have a synopsis for episode 5x10 "The Guilt of Queens" (replacement for "The Kindness of Strangers") -I would've rather axed 5x11 but it made more sense this way

* * *

Arthur holds his wife tightly, "We'll get through this together, Guinevere."

"But, Arthur, you don't know what I did! To you, to Merlin-"

"Merlin?"

…

The servant is standing by a window, brow furrowed as he stares out.  
His distraction allows the king to yank up the man's pant leg before he can escape.

"What is this?" He gestures to the bandage Merlin is hastily re-covering.  
The younger man stares back, open-mouthed in surprise.

…

"I'm so sorry, Merlin; I don't know how I can ever-"

"Shhh, Gwen, it isn't your fault- it's Morgana's."

"But I accused you of treason- you almost _died_ because of me!"

"No, _not_ you. You were enchanted."

The queen paused, eyes becoming shrewd, "And why am I not now?"  
The servant opened his mouth to answer but Guinevere beat him to it.

"I know, Merlin. _I know._"


	16. The Cup of Life

A/n: If this keeps up I may have to give Geoffrey his own mini-series :P

Prompt: _Come up with an idea as to what might have happened to the Cup of Life following its disappearance at the end of Series 3. You can simply locate it and explain how it got there, or you can have a particular character (original or canon or even historical) making use of it at some future time._

* * *

Geoffrey crept out from behind the tapestry, picking his way through the wreckage to arrive at the pedestal.  
It took only a small amount of digging to locate the Cup, undamaged and already clean of blood.  
Tucking it inside his robes he made haste to the library.

Quickly ensuring none were present, the librarian went to a particular shelf and pressed it down to reveal a secret chamber.  
The sole resident, hearing another enter the space, began to curse loudly.

Geoffrey kicked the goblin out of the way and placed the cup in an empty space, stretching some nearby cobwebs to make it seem as if it had been there for ages.  
He'd have to come back later to replace the dust Merlin had stirred up.

Honestly, that boy had no sense for deception.


End file.
